Gastric ulcer healing by chebulinic acid solid dispersion-loaded gastroretentive raft systems: preclinical evidence

Background: Chebulinic acid (CA), a component in Terminalia chebula, exhibits antiulcer activity, but has poor aqueous solubility. Raft-forming systems incorporating solid dispersions (SDs) of CA, were developed to overcome its poor biopharmaceutical properties and to prolong the gastric residence time for maximum activity. Methods: SDs were formulated by a solvent evaporation method using Eudragit EPO. Raft formulations consisted of sodium alginate as a polymer. Results: Release of CA in the dissolution medium was 40%, whereas SDs showed 95.45% release. The CA raft system (20 mg/kg) showed curative efficacy in an alcohol-induced gastric ulcer model and increased protection when compared with omeprazole (10 mg/kg) and CA suspension (20 mg/kg). Conclusion: These studies demonstrated SD raft systems to be a promising approach for antiulcer therapy by CA.